Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-03-31
BARETTI'S BRACELET.
Why and How q Princess Gave It
to Him.

Why and How a Princess Gave It
to Him.
He was the handsomest man that I
have ever seen upon the boards, and
that despite the fact that have been
stage-manager in leading Italian the
aters for the last thirty years SO when,
after brilliant season of six weeks in
St. Petersburg, our energetic director
decided to mount Torelli's great trag-
edy of 1.-The Martyrs" and needed an
actor of remarkable personal beauty to
take the part of Claudius, said to him
at once: "Cola Barctti is the very
man." There was no question at any
time of our leading tragedian, Varese.
for the character, for he was short and
thick-set, and was fifty years old at the
very least, besides which lie preferred
tie part of Nero, which he had always
played in Italy. Our director tele-
graphed for Baretti that very night,
and the piece was brought out three
weeks later. OF course every body
knows about Torelli's MARTYRS" as it
is one of the greatest poetic dramas of
the nineteenth century. 1 need, there
fore, only mention that it turns on the
fate of Claudius, brilliant young prof
igate noble, who loves Christian
patrician maiden. and is induced by
his love to embrace her faith and to
share in her doom, both being con-
demned to the lions by Nero. We had
cage full of real lions in the last
scene, that of the amphitheater, and by
dint Of never feeding them till just
after the performance, we got them to
roar every evening in a most realistic
and bloodthirsty fashion. Then we had
a new scene for that act representing
the interior of the Colosseum, as re-
stored, after the best authorities, and
it was so finely done that it created a
genuine sensation.
But the great success of the play was
Baretti rs Claudius. As Ihave said be-
fore, he was wonderfully handsome,
in a superb and symmetrical and an
tique Roman fashion, that was Just
suited to the character. And when, on
the first night, Claudius appeared at
the top of a flight of steps at one side
of the stage. in his white, gold-bor-
dered tunic and snowy mantle. with a
fan of white ostrich plumes in his hand,
and leaning upon the shoulder of one
of his boon companions, murmur of
admiration ran through the house.
The old Countess Ledichoff was
heard to ask: "How long was it since
the statues in the Vatican had come to
life and taken to acting?" And the
sculptor Krazinoff (who died the other
day. aged eighty-two) came up to him
in the green-room, after the first act,
and said. with long look at his figure
and his features: .Ah, my boy, if l
were but ten years younger, would
make of your Claudius a masterpiece
In marble that would immortalize us
bothr' Nor was his acting q less sue
cess than his appearance. The fine
play of his features. the grace of his
gestures, the enforced fervor and
pathos of the later scenes, all won
warm praise from audience and critics
alike, and, much to Varese's disgust
and indignation. Cola Baretti was the
success of our season.
Looking as he did and acting as he
did. he came in for good deal of social
attention and the more so as he was a
winning. genial. gentlemanly fellow
off the stage. and a great favorite with
every body who made his acquaintance.
But he kept out of the way as much as
possible, refused most of the invita-
tions that were extended to him, and
burned up the little perfumed notes
that he daily received without so much
rs reading them. The truth is that he
was engaged to be married to a young
American girl. Alice Mayburn by
name. who was studying singing in
Milan under Lamperti, and SO he used
to devote his leisure moments to study
ing Shakespeare and writing her long
letters. He showed me her photo
graph once. but can not say thought
much of tia little thin face, with =
pair of immense eyes, and that was all.
A little American mocking-bird, that
scarcely thought was fitted to mate
with our king-falcon. told Baretti SO
very frankly one day. but he would not
listen to me.
Friend Marconi." he said, II love
her and she loves me, and when once
her debut is made ard her career, like
mime assured, shall invite you to the
wedding. So not word, l beg of you,
in disparagement Of my future wife"